


But The Boy Loved Him Just As Much

by Katherine



Category: Guardians of the Galaxy (Movies)
Genre: Gen, Stuffed Toys
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-17
Updated: 2019-09-17
Packaged: 2020-10-20 17:12:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 280
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20678957
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Katherine/pseuds/Katherine
Summary: Peter was sure he was too old for a stuffed animal to matter so much. He had been ashamed of it, not letting anyone in the hospital see. But he had more excuse now.





	But The Boy Loved Him Just As Much

**Author's Note:**

> Title from _The Velveteen Rabbit_.

Peter was sure he was too old for a stuffed animal to matter so much. He had been ashamed of it, not letting anyone in the hospital see. But he had more excuse now. He kept it with him, hidden anyway—tucked right inside his backpack.

Sometimes when Peter was left by himself he opened the zipper just a little way, and wiggled one paw out just enough to hold on to. If anything could have helped how he felt since his mother died and he had been kidnapped by mean aliens, having Ranger did.

Yondu and the other Ravagers were rough and scary, and kept saying they'd maybe eat Peter. But Yondu cloned Peter's Awesome Mix tape so he couldn't lose it.

Much later, when Peter didn't hide Ranger—what would aliens care if Peter was being a baby—Yondu must have noticed that Ranger was worn in places. One of Ranger's arms was gone to matted-down smoothness, from Peter holding on. But Peter petted Ranger's tail, didn't hug him tight there, so that stayed fluffy, every light-and-dark ring of fur in the pattern.

Yondu brought him a selection of fuzzy cloth, so Peter could pick one for patching up Ranger. And once Yondu let him decide on a small glass eye, carefully chosen out of the Ravager's supplies which for some reason included a lot of fake eyes. Yondu fit that where one of Ranger's had been lost. Yondu kept being weird, and kind of helpful, and kind of caring.

Peter held on to Ranger every night, petting at the seams where Yondu had sewn on soft patches, and thought that maybe these aliens were not completely mean.


End file.
